Warm Steel
by LilletteBlonde
Summary: Krista was always drawn to the mysterious raven haired beauty in the training barracks. When Mikasa offers to oversee her training, Krista finally has an excuse to get closer to her hero. Takes place during / after 3rd OVA. MikasaxKrista, Mikuri, yuri. Fluff until last chapter. M for yuri sex & some language.
1. Chapter 1

_Ties in with the 3_ _rd_ _OAV, in which Krista is kidnapped. In this version, Krista shares a room in the barracks with Mikasa, Annie and Sasha._

Chapter 1

Rescue

* * *

Krista struggled against the burning ropes that clasped her wrists, but it was little use. They were knotted around a beam at the top of the stagecoach, and held fast in spite of her best efforts. The wagon lurched over a large stone in the road, sending her flying suddenly forward. Yet the restraints held, and for an agonizing moment hung suspended only by the weight of her thin wrists. Her arms felt as though they would be ripped from their sockets, but she refused to scream. She groped for the floor with her toes, and found it just as she heard a faint cracking noise in her shoulder blade.

The kidnapper beside her glared at her, and she glared right back, unwilling to show any signs of fear. He was a middle aged man, with blonde hair that thickly coated the sides of his face. His eyes dropped to her body, and he shook his head.

"I can't figure it out," he said at last, still glaring at his captive. "You sure she's really worth that much? I mean, I guess she's pretty and all but she's all bones… can't even call her a woman yet."

The man driving the stagecoach didn't bother to answer. It was hard enough discerning his path in the dim light before dawn. He didn't need ignorant, pointless questions ruining his concentration. His skin was a dark, warm hue and his head had been completely shaven of its black hair. The blonde man stared down at the gun against his shoulder, and furrowed his brow. He seemed annoyed at his comrade's disrespectful silence.

"Guess some perverts are into that, but I don't know…" continued the blonde man.

"Will you shut up?" said the driver. "God damn. You've got no damn clue who she is, do you?"

The blonde man didn't know who she was, of course. But his pride had already been wounded, and he didn't want to admit his ignorance.

"Well, she don't look special," he muttered.

The driver groaned and opened his mouth to curse his annoying subordinate. But before the words escaped him there was a loud crash, and screaming coming from the stagecoach behind them.

"What the hell's going on back there?" demanded the driver.

His fellow kidnapper didn't know himself. Krista craned her neck backwards and tried to make sense of the chaos taking place behind them. It was difficult to tell just exactly who was attacking who. In the wild blur of shapes she saw Eren grab one of the bandits by the first, and flip him on his back. Then Jean leaped forward and ensnared the bald driver in a tight headlock.

"Damn brats!" shouted the blonde man, and he aimed his rifle at their pursuers.

Krista panicked. Everything was happening too quickly, she knew she had to do something, but- then their coach struck another rock with a violent jolt. This time the ropes didn't hold. When the wagon swung forward, Krista fell. She careened forward, her head striking the floor in a blur of white, painful stars. Somewhere a gunshot rang out. She shook her head free from the fog of pain and tried to stand. It was no use. Though she was free, her hands were still bound tightly by the coil of rope, and she had a difficult time steadying herself.

"Damn! This one won't miss," said the blonde man, who fumbled to load another bullet. Krista's heart raced. Chance had saved her friends last time, but it was too much to hope that it would do so again. She steadied herself against the side of the wagon, and drew herself to her feet. The blonde bandit took careful aim, and found his target. It was now or never.

"Stop!" she shouted, and grabbed the barrel of the gun with her bound hands.

She pulled it downwards, determined to wrest it from his grasp. Eren shouted her name; or at least she thought he did. Everything was moving so fast. The inevitable shot rang out- just as she'd managed to jerk the barrel downwards once more. The shot went astray, and struck one of the front wheels of the wagon behind them. Wood shattered in an explosion of splinters, and the coach fell on its axle. It careened along the wild dirt road, until at last it struck a large tree and shattered to pieces.

Krista's muscles slackened as she watched the crash, horrified. This was the chance her captor had been waiting for.

"You bitch!" he cried. "Get off!"

With that, he tossed her hard against the wagon floor. Before she knew it he had the barrel of the gun pointed between her eyes. Her gaze traveled up the length of the weapon in as she struggled to hide her fear.

"Don't kill her!" said the tanned driver. "She's worth a hell of a lot more than the rest of the bounty."

"So that's how it is," said the blonde man, as understanding finally dawned into his dim skull. "Guess you're the real reason why we came. All the same, your friends cost us. All that gear… that's nothing to sneeze at. I don't like losing money, you hear me?"

Krista refused to answer him. She couldn't show fear; not now. Not when she was so close to escaping…

"You did bad, and now you're going to have to take responsibility for it, understand? " said the blonde man. "After all… boss only said I couldn't kill you. But you're tougher than you look. You could likely stand a whole mess of pain without dying, couldn't you now?"

Krista's eyes narrowed as he drew closer, ready to spring on him with all the fierceness of a cornered beast. This was it…

Suddenly something struck the man's rifle with a metallic 'clang!', and it flew from his hands. The bewildered captor drew another weapon from the cache at his side, and rushed to meet his attackers at the rear of the wagon. Krista looked back and saw that Jean and Eren were in hot pursuit, soaring between the trees that lined the road. The blonde kidnapper fired at the boys, but it was little use. They were flying so fast now that it would take an expert marksman to stop them.

As they swung past the wagon, they struck at its wheels. Splinters flew everywhere, and the wagon fell. It slid until it reached a sharp corner in the road, and fell tumbling down into a the neighboring ravine. The coach flipped and thrashed; everything was a haze of dust in pain. When at last it stopped, Krista staggered to her feet, her head swimming and her body wracked with pain.

"Run, damn you…" she hissed to her legs; but they would not obey.

After a few shaky steps, she felt a pair of strong arms grasp her tightly. She fought as hard as she was able, kicking and trashing like a wild beast. But this time, there was no escape.

"Stay still for once, damn it!" said the rough voice of the tanned driver.

Krista was ready to sink her teeth into his wrist when she felt something cold against her neck… something sharp. Its edge gently tore at her pale throat, and she thought better of resisting; at least for now. The driver breathed heavily as he labored to pull her back up the ravine they'd fallen in.

"Stay back! Hand over your weapons, and the 3D gear!" shouted the familiar voice of the blonde kidnapper. "Come on, hurry up!"

She cast a glance in his direction and saw a rifle rested on his right shoulder; aimed at Jean and Eren. The others in their squad stood behind them. No one dared move.

"Shit, you've got to be kidding me," murmured the tan driver, once he'd caught sight of the other cadets.

All of them were armed now. True, the kidnappers had a hostage, but they were now heavily outnumbered. To make matters worse, their transportation had been destroyed. They were backed into a corner now; and that made them scared… and unpredictable.

"Why'd this have to happen to me?" continued the driver. "Even if we run from the titans… What kind of life is this? Stuck out here, with nothing to risk. Don't burden others, I said… I should have at least taught my daughter that much. Damn…"

Suddenly, all of Krista's fear was gone, replaced instead with pity for the poor man. She knew all too well of the chaos that followed the attacks four years ago. Food shortages, riots, murder… the animal savagery of those days left deep scars on the survivors. Many envied those who went quickly between the teeth of a titan. This man, with his wild, glaring eyes had to be one of them; a refuge from Wall Maria. No doubt he had a family- and he was trying to keep them alive the only way he knew how. Her heart sank with regret as her thoughts wandered to her own family…

"Come on!" screamed the blonde man. "Drop them! Hurry!"

Was she imagining things? Or did Armin just smile? She followed his gaze to the canopy of trees above them just in time to see two dark figures crashing down upon them. Mikasa fell atop Krista's captor, striking the back of his neck. The kidnapper howled in pain, and his grip went slack. Krista leapt forward, away from his grasp. She spun to face the man just in time to see Mikasa pivot, and swing the edge of her sword towards the kidnapper's neck.

"Stop!" Krista screamed. "Don't kill him!"

The blade stopped, kissing the driver's tanned flesh. Blood trickled down from the wound, yet he remained standing. Mikasa's cool glare fell upon Krista, and she felt her heart thump loudly in her chest. Warmth crept into her cheeks as a gust of wind tossed Mikasa's shiny black hair across her cheeks. For some inexplicable reason, she couldn't look away.

Krista had always felt drawn to the mysterious brunette in a way she couldn't really understand. They were roommates, and sometimes even slept near one another in the barracks. Though four years had passed since they'd first met, Krista still knew so little about her. She was always so silent… so strong; as if nothing in the world could ever move her.

This was not the first time Krista had caught herself staring shamelessly at her alluring roommate. Normally she'd pull her eyes away in fear; fear of the gravity that drew her towards the silent beauty. But not this morning. This morning, she wasn't going to look away for anything. As her adrenaline faded, her body grew weak. Before she collapsed, she felt a pair of firm arms around her.

She cast a blurry glance upwards and realized Mikasa was holding her. It was so warm, so comforting… so new. Krista's mother never held her, never shown her affection natural between mother and daughter. The first fifteen years of Krista's life had been spent feeling hurt and unwanted. But not anymore. None of that mattered now. To be held like this, in Mikasa's arms… it was all she'd ever wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hot Chocolate

Year 848

Annie Leondhart crossed the threshold into the barracks, wearing her usual poker face. As perceptive as Mikasa was, even she could not pierce the expression that shielded Annie's thoughts.

"So?" asked an impatient Sasha Blouse. "What happened to them? You heard something, right? Right?"

Instead of answering, Annie tossed her jacket lazily on her bed and yanked her sweater over her head.

"Hey, come on!" persisted Sasha. Clearly, she wasn't going to give it up anytime soon.

"They're dead," she said, in a callous tone.

"What? _All_ of them?" asked Mikasa, unable to mask her surprise.

Annie nodded.

"Solders got a little carried while interrogating them… at least that's what it sounded like from the rumors, anyways," she said.

"I don't get it," said Mikasa. "Don't they usually question criminals one by one, separate from each other? Why-"

"Why torture them to death?" said Annie, finishing for her as she began unlacing her boots. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Seems a bit harsh, don't you guys think? " asked Sasha. "I mean… come on… all they did was take a few supplies." A cold sweat leaked from her brow, and she wondered if she'd suffer the same fate for her nightly raids on the barrack pantries

"And Krista," said Mikasa, correcting her.

"I wonder…," said Annie, and she laid on her back to study the ceiling. "Maybe they've done a whole lot more than steal some guns and a girl. People have been pretty desperate since Wall Maria fell… Unless…"

"Yes?" said Sasha, prompting Annie once she fell silent again. "Unless? Unless what?"

"Unless there's some other reason," came the answer, but this time from Mikasa. "Krista was the only one they took, after all."

"Then why her?" asked Sasha, growing more frustrated with the vague nature of the discussion. She who preferred to dwell more on thoughts of food than conspiracies.

"Why else?" replied Annie. "Girls like her go for a high price on the black market."

Mikasa grit her teeth in silence as a torrent of unpleasant memories came flooding back.

"I guess Krista is pretty popular with the boys," said Sasha, dimly.

As if summoned by name, their discussion was interrupted by the sudden entrance of a petite blonde girl. Everyone watched this new addition as she shly crossed the threshold. Well, all except Sasha. She only had eyes for the large chocolate éclair nestled carefully in Krista's arms.

"Krista!" Sasha cried. "That…. that's chocolate! I knew it! You really are a goddess!"  
She fell to her knees before the short blonde, screaming to the heavens as if in a frenzied prayer. Tears welled up in the corners of her puppy brown eyes, and she whimpered audibly in hungry expectation.

"S-stop!" Krista exclaimed. "Calm down, already…"

"Please… just one bite!" pleaded Sasha. "Just one bite, and I can die in peace!"

With that, Sasha clawed upwards in a desperate attempt to retrieve the pastry from Krista's iron grip. Krista pulled away, shielding the delicacy with her arms.

By now, Mikasa had just about enough of this noise. She pounced on Sasha in a flash, and plucked her up by the collar of her jacket.

"Oi-hey!" Sasha protested. "Lemme go!"

"Fine," said Mikasa, in a low tone that usually preceeded bloodshed.

She then tossed Sasha to the nearest bed, who hit her head against the wall with a loud 'thud'.

"Everyone… everyone is against me!" cried Sasha, her limbs failing like the toddler in the midst of a tantrum. "You're all so cruel! The last you could do is tell me where you found such a tender morsel!" In all her secret trips to the pantry, Sasha had never seen something so beautiful.

"They were in the kitchen near the officer's quarters, I was passing by and I…" Krista began, hesitant to admit she'd stolen them.

The morality of the situation mattered little to Sasha, who had already shot through the door as fast as her legs would carry her.

Krista took a moment to catch her breath and said "Thank you, Mikasa."

"It's fine," said Mikasa, and turned away. Her black silky strands swung around and shone brightly in the dim cabin light. "Annie was about to rip her throat out, anyways."

Annie said nothing to confirm or deny this accusation.

Krista watched the blacked haired girl retreat back to her bunk, struck by her cool beauty. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she hugged her arms tightly against her chest as if to quiet its beating. Her mind raced with a thousand worries, every one of them urging her to retreat. But not this time. This time, she'd talk with her- this time she wouldn't let her nerves get in the way.

"No, no- really!" said Krista, following Mikasa up the ladder to the top bunk. "I never thanked you properly. You know, for saving me back there… from those kidnappers."

"It was nothing," said Mikasa.

Krista scooted across their sleeping mats and sat alongside Mikasa, her back resting against the cabin wall.

"I know everyone helped," said Krista. "But really, if it weren't for you- well, you know… things could've got really bad." And with that, she offered the chocolate delicacy to Mikasa, imploring her to take it.

Mikasa accepted the pastry from her friend, and studied the strange cake from every angle. She'd never even seen something like this before, and she had no idea what to expect from it.

"It's not a big deal," said Mikasa, and she took a small, apprehensions bite. "If I let someone die on such a simple mission, I wouldn't be much use against the titans."

"Well… yeah," admitted Krista. "But it meant a lot to me, you know? I had to find some way to thank you. Really… I owe you my life."

"You really want to thank me?" asked Mikasa turned her steely gaze to meet Krista's.

Krista found heat rising to her cheeks, but she nodded all the same.

"Get stronger," said Mikasa. "So strong you'll never be a burden to anyone, again."

Krista's cheerful features deflated into sadness.

"I fought too, you know," murmured Krista, making no effort to mask the resentment in her voice. "I guess Eren didn't tell you, did he?"

"Eren?" she asked, worried. "No- what happened?"

It was just like Eren to take all the credit, and gloss over the real dangers of a mission.

"That figures," said Krista, with a soft, bitter sigh. "It was in the wagons. One of the bandits tried to shoot Jean and Eren. I charged and knocked him to the floor. If it weren't for me, they could have been shot, you know. He didn't take too well to that."

She rolled back her right sleeve, revealing an angry purple bruise on her forearm. Mikasa believed her at once. There was no way Jean or Eren would admit that Krista had saved their lives; least of all to her. As Mikasa's gaze traveled to blonde's stern expression, a newfound respect rose within her. Krista was still young, and not yet five feet tall; to tackle a grown man to the ground in handcuffs was no easy task. Maybe she wasn't such a perfect, sweet princess after all.

Mikasa realized she'd be staring into her friend's eyes a little too long, and now it was her turn to look away shyly.

"I guess I owe you some thanks too, then," she muttered, and awkwardly raised the half-eaten pastry in Krista's direction.

Krista helped herself to a mouthful of the chocolate delicacy, and a smile played at her lips while she chewed. So Mikasa wasn't as cold-hearted as she seemed, after all.

For some reason she couldn't explain, Mikasa found it hard to stop looking at Krista's mouth ash she ate. There was something about the way the blonde traced the edges of her pink lips with the tip of her tongue, cleaning away the traces of chocolate there… Finally, she forced herself to tear her eyes away once she realized she'd been staring . Hopefully, Annie and Sasha hadn't noticed.

"Anyway… if your group was stronger and more alert, none of that would have happened in the first place," Mikasa added. "You won't always have someone to look out for you."

"Well, in that case," teased Krista, "There _are_ a few ways you could better thank me, if you really wanted to."

Against her will, the confusing warmth in Mikasa's face grew hotter.

"What?"

"Help me get stronger," said Krista, her brow lowering in determination. "That way I… I won't be a burden on you, or anyone else."

Mikasa was at a loss for words. The request was probably one of the last things she'd expected to come from the petite girl at her side. She quickly regained her composure, and popped the rest of the chocolate into her mouth.

"Fine, if that's what you really want." She answered.

"You really mean it?!" Krista exclaimed.

"I'll wake you at first light ," said Mikasa, who then drew her blanket around her shoulders.

"Before breakfast?" asked Krista, trying to mask her disappointment.

"You want to get stronger, don't you?" asked Mikasa.

"Of course, but-"

"Only way you'll get stronger than the others is if you work harder than they do," stated Mikasa plainly. "Don't make me regret this."

"You won't!" insisted Krista. "I promise!"

"I hope so," said Mikasa.

She spun around to lay on her side and pulled the blanket up around her face, effectively ending the conversation.

Krista hopped out from the bunk and began to change into her bed clothes with an air of cheery optimism. Soon she'd be spending hours and hours with Mikasa… alone. The thought gave her almost too much happiness to contain.

It wasn't until she lay still in her bed that she realized what the two girls had already shared. Her mind wandered to the éclair Mikasa offered, and how she'd taken a bite.. from the same place Mikasa had just moments before. Wasn't that what some called an 'indirect' kiss?' She buried her head deeper in her pillow, her cheeks going red at the thought.

And then, her mind wandered; as if often did. What would it be like to _actually_ kiss Mikasa? The softness of those warm lips against her own, the scene of her breath playing against her skin. Suddenly the heat from Krista's face traveled to new areas of her body, sending tingling sensations along with it. She tried to stop her mind from wandering further, but it was no use. Perhaps waking up at dawn was going to be even harder than she thought.


End file.
